The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t just eliminate the Dodgers on Thursday. They finished a four-game NLCS sweep and punched their ticket to the World Series for the first time in 44 years, ending Los Angeles’ run with a statement win that erased any lingering talk of a three-peat.
The Dodgers actually opened the game with some promise, building a 4-0 lead. But that was about as good as it got. Milwaukee answered with six straight runs and never looked back, turning the night into a hard stop on a season built around championship expectations.
Dave Roberts didn’t dress it up after the loss.
“It never feels good to lose and not accomplish your goals to win the World Series. It started back in the early part of February, and I love this team… This series, I can’t give enough praise to the Brewers organization… We just got beat in four games.”
That’s the cleanest read on what happened here: the Dodgers got outplayed, plain and simple. And for a team chasing a third straight title, so much had to break right just to get back to the World Series conversation. The last two championship runs weren’t flawless, and this year brought its own grind for an aging core that couldn’t quite keep pace when it mattered most.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times dug into the cracks in his latest column, pointing to the biggest issue as a hobbled, slumping Shohei Ohtani. His one big moment came too late to change the series, even after he delivered a three-run homer in the second inning of Game 4 on Thursday.
That swing briefly gave the Dodgers life, but it never turned into a rally that could stretch the series to a Game 5. In the end, the Dodgers couldn’t chase history without their most important hitter at full strength. Ohtani, as the source material puts it, is the catalyst for everything they do, everything they are.
The offseason is already here, and it arrived with a notable goodbye. Miguel Rojas announced his retirement shortly after Game 4 ended, becoming the latest veteran to step away as the organization turns the page.
There are bigger questions ahead, too. Dylan Hernandez of the California Post noted that one of the main issues waiting for the Dodgers is Shohei Ohtani’s future status as a full-time two-way player.
The roster can’t simply roll back unchanged and expect a different outcome. The Dodgers may still be the second-best team in baseball behind the Brewers, but Thursday made one thing clear: that isn’t enough.
Farewells are coming, including to longtime Dodgers who will always be remembered as World Series heroes, and to Ohtani hitting and pitching full-time. After this kind of loss, president of baseball operation Andrew Friedman has his marching orders.
Adjust - or else.
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